Embodiments relate to systems, methods and computer program code for monitoring and providing feedback on the usage of domestic appliances.
A cost-effective option for monitoring the electrical power consumption of a domestic property is to provide the user with an aggregated power series of the total electrical power consumption of the property, for example at a low-sample rate (˜1 Hz). From this aggregated power consumption data, the user can make informed choices of how to use electrical power within the property in order to improve efficiency. However whilst the user is presented with an overall total of the power consumption, the user has no visibility of the performance of individual electrical power consuming devices/appliances, for example washing machines, dishwashers, tumble driers, irons, ovens, kettles and the like. Background prior art relating to monitoring power-consuming devices can be found in U.S. Pat. No. 4,858,141, U.S. Pat. No. 5,483,153 and U.S. Pat. No. 5,717,325. U.S. Pat. No. 5,483,153, for example, detects the initial On and the final Off transient (using high-sample rate data when this is easier).
It is, however, advantageous to present consumers with information explaining where their domestic energy consumption is happening, for example the relative cost of running different appliances. This is because armed with this information they can then choose to change their behavior in order to reduce their consumption and thus save themselves money, for example by using costly-to-run appliances less often, or using them in a lower-cost manner when they are used.
We have therefore appreciated the need for improved energy monitoring and feedback techniques.